Benefits of Green Onions

 The better you eat when it comes to fruits and vegetables,, the less likely you are to develop many medical problems. TN Produce offers locally grown products that is vital for your every day function. Green onions, also known as scallions or spring onions, contain a wide variety of health-enhancing compounds like vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Use them raw in salads or cook them with other vegetables in stir-fries or sautes for an extra boost of nutrition.

 

Bone Health

A single, 12-gram green onion stalk contains nearly 20 micrograms of vitamin K and 1.6 milligrams of vitamin C. For a healthy adult man, this supplies 16 percent of his recommended daily allowance of vitamin K and nearly 2 percent of his vitamin C RDA. For a woman, a green onion stalk provides 22 percent of her daily vitamin K and 2.1 percent of her vitamin C. Both vitamins K and C are crucial for the growth, development and maintenance of strong bones. If your diet lacks these vitamins, you may be more likely to develop osteoporosis or to suffer from bone fractures.

Eye Health

The body needs vitamin A to produce rhodopsin, the protein in the eyes that allows retinal receptors to absorb light. People whose diets don't include enough vitamin A can develop night blindness and other vision disorders, including corneal ulcers. A green onion stalk contains 24 micrograms of vitamin A in the form of provitamin A carotenoid compounds that the body converts to retinol, the active form of the vitamin. This amount of vitamin A fulfills 2.6 percent of a man's required daily intake and 3.4 percent of a woman's.

Heart Health

The vitamin C and vitamin A found in foods like green onions both have strong antioxidant properties, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. This means the vitamins can help prevent DNA and cellular tissue damage by inhibiting the activity of free radical compounds. A diet rich in foods with a high antioxidant concentration -- primarily fruits and vegetables -- is linked to a decreased risk of heart disease. Vitamin C may also help prevent high blood pressure, which, in turn, can lower your risk of heart disease.

Immune System Health

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the Linus Pauling Institute, onions like green onions are a rich source of phytochemicals, especially flavonoid compounds such as quercetin and anthocyanins. These particular phytochemical compounds are naturally occurring plant chemicals that may support the function of the immune system. A 2001 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" reported that flavonoids may also help prevent cancer by inhibiting xanthine oxidase, an enzyme that produces free radicals that can damage DNA and cellular tissue.